This invention relates to a fish protection system, and in particular to a system for preventing predatory animals (such as cats) from attempting to attack fish from the edge of an ornamental pond. Throughout this specification, the term "pond" should be taken to include tanks or other containers for live fish.
One of the major problems of keeping fish, either by hobbyists in ornamental ponds or by fish farmers in tanks, is that cats try to catch the fish. A cat does this by `scooping` out fish from the water margin of the pond using one of its front paws. Even if a cat fails to `land` a fish in this way, its paw can damage a fish, which will then lie in the pond. If, as is probable, such a damaged fish dies, it will pollute the pond, thereby requiring the trouble and expense of cleaning and/or draining. As some fish can cost up to 1,000 or more, it will be apparent that this is a serious problem.
The usual way of deterring or preventing cats attacking fish in a pond is to stretch netting thereacross. Unfortunately, this is not a very effective solution. Moreover, netting is unsightly, and so detracts severely from the appearance of an ornamental pond. Netting also has to be moved for pond maintenance purposes.
Another known deterrent is to place a fence round a pond. This is not a very effective deterrent for a cat, and also detracts from the appearance of an ornamental pond.